AZ and Pregnant?

[Suzee48]

Hi there!

I live in the UK but work for a humanitarian agency and am be stationed abroad for the next 5 months.

I am 12 weeks pregnant. AZ is the only vaccine available in the country I am stationed in. Since my work is considered frontline and cases are extremely high here, I have made the decision to take AZ here. I was wondering if any expectant mums on here have taken AZ and had any experiences to share? I'm just very nervous about it, so just knowing other pregnant women who have taken it are out there and okay would be really helpful! Thanks!

[Mindymomo]

It’s only in the past couple of days that it’s been announced that pregnant women can be vaccinated here in uk, so hopefully there is evidence that it is as safe as it can be.

[Suzee48]

Thank! yes I saw the articles online.

I figured that perhaps pregnant women who were also frontline workers, or women with underlying heath conditions may have had the AstraZeneca already?

[Mindymomo]

There is another thread going on here called - All pregnant women in Uk to be offered vaccine. There is one person who says she is pregnant and has had both doses of AZ vaccine.

[Useruseruserusee]

My friend who is an intensive care nurse and pregnant has had AZ. She has been completely fine, felt a bit rotten the day after as many do but no problems. She has no regrets.

[oldegg123]

@Mindymomo

It’s only in the past couple of days that it’s been announced that pregnant women can be vaccinated here in uk, so hopefully there is evidence that it is as safe as it can be.

No this is incorrect

Pregnant women have been offered the vaccine since last year - it was advised in cases where a woman is CV or at risk of exposure (e.g., HCP, retail worker) due to the high level of risk.

Anyone who didn't fall into these categories but wanted to be vaccinated while pregnant was offered the jab after discussing pros and cons with GP.

[MRex]

My friend had one AZ jab and didn't realise she was pregnant. So far so good, but vaccines are all very new. Pfizer has at least been taken successfully by many more women in the USA. I don't know that I'd do it, but it really depends how much risk you run abroad and you do say cases are high. Depending on when you go, it may be best to ask your GP to arrange a Pfizer jab now given the circumstances, because pregnant women are vulnerable and vaccines are now recommended.

I'm not sure that I understand the timeframes; in 5 months you'll be 8 months pregnant so you can't fly home, you know that right? Have you set up all your maternity care for while you're there? Are you sure the insurance for your company will cover you going out there pregnant at all in the middle of a pandemic, regardless of vaccines? Who is covering your healthcare costs while you're there, anything could happen including early labour and/or needing medical repatriation, is that really covered? Sorry to sound skeptical, but I'm really surprised if it's all covered.

[Onthedowns]

Mu understanding was that AZ hasn't been tested on pregnancy and JCVI recommended moderna or Pfizer

[Onthedowns]

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation now advises that pregnant women should all be offered the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines where available, at the same time as the rest of the population.

They are encouraged to discuss the risks and benefits of the vaccines with their doctor before making the appointment, but it is not a requirement.

"There is no evidence to suggest that other vaccines are unsafe for pregnant women, but more research is needed," it added.

Currently, there is a lack of data on the AstraZeneca vaccine in pregnancy because pregnant women were not included in trials, but the JCVI says more evidence may be forthcoming in the near future.